Pedestrians Beware In P.G.

Jackie Burns wrote to the Hear-Old:

I walk nearly every day in Pacific Grove. And nearly every day, no matter where I am walking, drivers do not stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks. I can be off the curb into the crosswalk or even in the middle of a wide street and have eye contact with them and they still don’t stop. Please, drivers, respect the pedestrians, speed limits and stop signs!

If there’s no police presence to enforce parking limits, there’s also none to enforce safe driving. Shame.

Pedestrians Beware In P.G.

Mayor Dan Cort Hands Out Polluting Pine Trees

And not only do they pollute, they will block the sun from his solar panels.So here, have a free tree but don’t plant it near Cort’s house.

Pacific Grove Mayor Dan Cort is thinking globally, but acting locally. He and his wife, Beth, have donated 500 Monterey pine seedlings to be planted after the Good Old Days Celebration this month as a way to offset carbon dioxide generated during the event, which brings hundreds of vehicles and thou sands of visitors to town.

But Ronald Regan was right – trees cause pollution!

According to a study by the University of Helsinki, coniferous forests that is to say, those composed of trees such as pines release nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere that combine with other pollutants to form smog.

Several scientists and environmentalists contacted by the Associated Press for comment did not dispute the finding, though it contradicts the “conventional wisdom” that forests reduce pollution. Those who commented countered that forest emissions are part of the Earth’s natural balance, whereas man-made pollution is an addition and therefore an avoidable health hazard.

Mayor Dan Cort Hands Out Polluting Pine Trees

Empty Shops – Not Like The Good Old Days

Diversity Lane Stores Oob

Newly announced in the “out of business” club is Ariana Cafe.
Cafe Ariana Closed

Here’s the stated reason. . . . no place to potty or wash up after the fights.
Cafe Ariana Restroom Excuse

Following the other thrift shops is the MCAP.
Mcap Oob

This Sucks – Vacuum store moving to C-Side.
PG Vacuum

Miller Brothers – was a ‘consignment store’. Certified Pre Owned used stuff.
Miller Brothers

Across the street is the vacant 115 Central.
115 Central

Central Coast Credit Union.
Central Coast CU

Empty shop in the former Union 76 location. This building is a terrible design for facing a main street.
Ryan Lease

Vying for the title of longest running “Going Out Of Business” sale ever, Gaspers’ sale started last December. Look for their first annual “Going Out Of Business” sale coming soon.
News Rack Gaspars 2

Out of the race for title is the Lane Furniture store over in Monterey. Gahhh, please, please close already and take the da-glo posters away…
Lane Furniture 485 Lighthouse Out Of Business Not

Empty Still – Since January.
Movie Mart
Moviemart Oob

68 Skate
68 Skate

Stokes Gallery (though like most galleries it never seemed to be open anyway)
Stokes

French Glass. What happened to this long time business?
French Glass

Homescapes
Homescapes

Laundromat
Laundrymat Oob

Trotters
Trotters 1

Maritas

SPCA Thrift Shop
Spca Oob

Both of the movie theater buildings remain empty – Grove Theater
618 Lighthouse Ave Grove

And Lighthouse Cinema
Lighthouse Cinema

Of course we cannot leave out Old Bath House.
Old Bath House

Prize for PG’s oldest empty business is the Valley National Bank.
Valley National Bank

Over on the Monterey end, there’s several properties that look all but abandoned. Quite trashy.

Birks Locksmith
Birks Keys

Mack Stove
200 Block Lighthouse Mack Stove

This was one of the numerous karate “schools” on the Avenue
Karate School

Empty Shops – Not Like The Good Old Days

Print News Is Dead

Herald Hear-old

Internet has finally made newspapers obsolete. The news is old. It’s time to consider why subscribe to the Hear-Old.

The Cost
The bills come every 4 weeks or so and never acknowledge the last payment. What the . . I just paid the bill 2 weeks ago and now I have another? Let’s check and see…
Herald Bill

So, you pay $14.59 every 4 weeks. That’s $3.6475 a week, $189.67 a year, $15.80 a month. You can get DSL Internet for that price.

Bought daily, costs $3.00 Monday to Saturday and $1.75 for Sunday – $4.75. You do save some by subscribing. But let’s get cheap. Monday’s paper is useless. It’s often not even heavy enough to stay put in the gutter it lands in every day. Same for Saturday. That alone brings the savings to .10 a week by not subscribing. And it’s dry. There once was a time when the news carrier would take pride in remembering where each customer wanted the paper, normally on the porch or a few steps from it. It was worth a tip. Good luck with that these days.

The content
OK the local news is the only thing unique to the paper. The rest of the fill comes from wire services. Any state and national news is the same stuff the TV stations get, the radio stations get and the internet provides. Too much of what passes as news is BS fluff from advertisers. This “How To Guide” covers a wide range of interesting subjects. Each one of them has a full page ad opposite the advice from an advertiser. What a coincidence

How To

Looks innocent enough, lets see.
How to buy a futon. Yep, an ad for futons after the “article”
How To Futon

How to Choose a Laser Eyeball Surgeon.
How To Lasik

If that don’t work out, wear glasses
How To Glasses

The Other Ads. At least they state the obvious that it is an ad. The advertisements are becoming an insult to readers’ intelligence. Fake viagra. Fake weight loss pills. Ads to buy money. Really. Ordinary US currency sold at a profit under the guise of being collectible.
$12 face value of dollars for $20
Dollars For Sale

Can’t afford it? What about $10.25 worth of quarters for $16? This is better than running a casino in Vegas. And this is legal in Pacific Grove.
Quarters For Sale

Dubious ads for ‘supplement’ pills that belong in the back of a supermarket tabloid.
Pills for fingernail fungus
Nails

Pills for prostate
Fad Prostate Cure

Pills for diets
Fad Diet

Pills for colon cleansing
Fad Colon Cleansing

The Waste. Hauling away the read and soggy unread Hear-olds is not free. The same ad inserts that come in the mail get sent straight to the trash with the Hear-old’s ads.

The employment practice. What?? Twice a year one’s schedule of paying the Hear-old gets out of sync with that every four week bill. No one else does this, not Cal Am, not PG&E not Comcast. So the paper has it’s friendly staff call you at all hours of the day reminding to to pay. Think you are talking to someone out at Ryan Ranch? Not even close.
C Muhammed called me from central Mississippi to remind me once.

Herald Muhammed

D Leonard also called me all the way from Dallas, Texas.
Herald Leonard

Calls “from the Hear-old” on phones from contractors residences? That’s real unprofessional. Time to end this unneeded expense?

Print News Is Dead

Art Gallery Invasion

Looks like Bistros and Galleries are neck and neck. The transformation of PG into a wanna be Carmel is well underway. Next we ban ice cream cones and a celebrity will run for mayor . .

Lewis
Lewis Gallery Closed

Stokes Collection (says they are closing though it never seems to be open anyway)
Stokes

Is disabled access a possibility? Look at that threshold.
Impossibility

A loft in a single story building . .
Loft

One Eyed Art Stares at City Hall
One Eyed Art

Welter
Ed Welter Gallery

Bookworks took the books out and now calls it a Gallery.
Bookworks Gallery

And eek out some attention to the Interiors shop (what interior decorator would keep xmas lights up in April?)
Art And Interior

Art Gallery Invasion

Naked Woman Escapes With Police Car

Watsonville police officers responded about 6:30 a.m. to a complaint of a man and woman arguing in their home on Miles Lane. While an officer was talking to the person who called to complain, Lisa Isidro fled from the house without any clothes, police said.

Another officer tried to detain Isidro, using chemical spray to subdue her. Instead, she jumped into a police car and tried to run over the officer, police said.

Naked Woman Escapes With Police Car

Cannery Row May Remain Closed For 2007

It may be a lot longer before a person can drive down parts of Cannery Row in Monterey again.

A stretch of the famous street is closed because of the new hotel construction.

The road was supposed to reopen in two more months so merchants wouldn’t miss out on summer tourism, but now that may not happen.

Makes it sound like the whole gargantuan tourist mall is shut off from habitation.

The street is blocked to car traffic from Prescott to David Avenue. Well, if the summer gas prices don’t keep them out of town altogether I don’t think this half block where nothing stood before will make much difference.

Cannery Row Detour

What’s happening beyond the barricades.
Clement Ocean Edge

What it will someday be:
Clement Ocean Edge Construction

What’s at the end where people come from miles around to visit? The Fish Prison!
Kalisas 2

Kalisa’s is closed. Still can visit the Wing Chong Building for gifts & such:
Wing Chong

But over on the other side, these businesses may be hurting, saying that they are cut off from the throngs of aquarium visitors. Frankly, I would not miss them. I mean some real tacky stuff could stand to be erased and replaced by butcher paper covered windows for all I care. There’s little worthy experience aside from the fish prison, except maybe an exhibit of some famous authors’ characters:
Famous Author

Ready for the ticky tacky? Here you go.

Cannibalistic Squids
Capt Calamaris

Sharks with leis
Festive Shark

Pet Puns
Dog Bowl

Disaster preparation. I see an opportunity to open a Cannery Row Treasure Outlet selling stuff from the out of business places – “After The Tourists Fled”
After The Quake

If the earthquake reference was not enough to remind you that we are close to San Francisco, there’s the famous chocolate boutique:
Ghirardelli Choc

Let’s stoop to the lowest common denominator, Anna Nicole Smith and Homer Simpson in one joke:
Homer

Really. You come all that way just to see some fish. You surely must have to buy:

Paintings
Kinkade

Socks
Sock Shop

Wine or Candles
Cannery Row Shops

The little crab with the stupid name says “Eat More Pizza (not me!!)
Louie Linguini

Don’t have anything to claim that would draw the crowds? Call your bar a “Family Restaurant”.
Slys Family Restaurant Claim

Sly McFly is the most historic restaurant on cannery row?
Slys Historic Restaurant Claim

Historic? Pft. In the 70s the building was a import shop, ala Pier One. It was built as a bar with a motoring theme. Destroyed by a fire that took out the whole building, rebuilt in the replica of the cannery building it now thinks it is historic? Real history lies back at Kalisas or Neil DeVaughns. O’Kane’s “Spaghetti Warehouse” was real fun. But up the street is where the REAL history is – the Sardine Factory.

Hate to put down the workers and owners, but the ‘Row really has turned into a garish plastic tourist trap. If you are a visitor that wants to experience it here’s what the webmaster family does for visitors. Go to Compagnos Deli up on Prescott and Taylor Streets. Buy one of those great sandwiches for every two people. Get some drink and side orders. Take that down to the stage and access area at the bottom of Prescott. There is often live music in the plaza. Beach access is available – you can either watch the performance and eat or go down to the beach. You’ll be glad to see a bit of history and not overpay for “most historic” meals.

Fish Hopper

Cannery Row May Remain Closed For 2007

Lillian King Sues Convicted Niece

The Pacific Grove woman sentenced to a year in jail for stealing about $1 million in gold and silver coins and antiques from her 99-year-old great aunt has been sued by the co-conservators of the elderly woman’s estate, who are seeking to reclaim the property.

The civil lawsuit contends Hurley’s actions amounted to despicable conduct that subjected King to a cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of her rights.

Hurley was released from jail in February, less than her one-year sentence, because she was given credit for good behavior and for time already served in jail since her arrest

Lillian King Sues Convicted Niece